Final Four Next
Benedictine's Carlton Hall, a 6-foot-4, 296-pound offensive tackle, has waited patiently for his time to shine.
He sat out his sophomore season after transferring from Jenkins to join the Cadet program. He earned a starting spot as a junior but suffered a knee injury in the first game of the year, sidelining him for the season.
But he kept grinding and working hard for his opportunity. He is making the most of it as the leader of a Cadet offensive line that paved the way for 561 yards rushing Friday night as BC rolled to an 80-32 win at Memorial Stadium over visiting Central-Carrollton.
It was a new school record for points in a game for the Cadets, who improved to 10-2 on the season and advanced to the Class 4A semifinals. BC will host Marist (12-1) on Friday, Dec. 5, at Memorial with a spot in the state championship on the line. BC's previous high point total was 77 in a 2019 win over Groves.
It was a fitting end to a memorable week for Hall, who announced his commitment to play at Middle Tennessee State on Thanksgiving Day.
"Coach told us all week that we had to move the ball on the ground and we had to mash 'em tonight," Hall said. "And that's what we did, rushing for more than 500 yards. Our offensive line has improved a lot during the season, and this means a lot for me because I've been sitting on the sideline watching for the last two years — and I'm finally getting the chance to show what I'm all about."
"Coach told us all week that we had to move the ball on the ground and we had to mash 'em tonight," Hall said. "And that's what we did, rushing for more than 500 yards. Our offensive line has improved a lot during the season, and this means a lot for me because I've been sitting on the sideline watching for the last two years — and I'm finally getting the chance to show what I'm all about."
With starting center Reef Leonard sidelined with an injury, Collyn Ward moved to center and Turner Walker moved to guard, with Noah Brainard coming in at tackle, Cadet coach Danny Britt said. But the unit didn't miss a beat.
"We've been playing physical all year, but I thought we just came out and physically dominated them tonight," Britt said. "Our offensive line coach Pat Fogarty has really done a great job with the guys and all the work they have done paid off tonight."
BC's defense had a strong showing. Central scored 20 points in the last 13 minutes against BC's second unit.
But Micah Williams had an interception in his third straight game, and JoJo Sutton also picked off a pass for the Cadets.
"We've got a lot of great players on our defense, but the key is our chemistry," Sutton said. "We hang out together away from school and get along really well. We communicate out there and have each other's backs."
